Digital Restaurant Marketing 101

Marketing your restaurant is no, one size fits all job. There are many different combinations, skills and tactics that you can adopt to get your restaurant on the map and known by your communities. But what about the steps that come before your specialised and bespoke restaurant marketing comes into play? Surely there are a few steps you can follow to get things up a running? So, without further ado, let us introduce you to digital restaurant marketing 101.

Step 1

Claiming and updating your listing.

Whether you like it or not, there are platforms out there that will list your restaurant without permission. Sites like Trip Advisor will list your restaurant as soon as someone has written a review with no option to remove it from the site. In order to get ahead, you’ll need to create an account and claim your listing. You might not be able to prevent every review, but you’ll be able to respond and use the platform to your advantage with regular news, new imagery and menu updates, ultimately using the site as a restaurant marketing tool. This goes for other sites such as Yelp, Google My Business, Time Out and Zomato. Find your restaurant, claim your business and update your information or get in touch with the listing site and request an update, you can thank us later.

Step 2

Social alignment.

One of the greatest tools in restaurant marketing is social media, mainly because the majority of its functionality is free. Ensure you have a business page on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and by adding a slick logo and a bio that is cohesive across all platforms, you’ll be creating a brand presence on all social media, a tool that will only aid your restaurant marketing online.

Step 3

Local businesses.

Whether you’ve got the best breakfast in town, the hot spot for a quick tasty lunch or an ideal venue for after work drinks, local businesses in the surrounding area are your number one key target for quick result restaurant marketing. Google Maps is a great place to start when establishing a key audience for your restaurant marketing. Create a local business list of top contacts, invite them in to dine, strike up a conversation, form a solid relationship and offer a bounce back offer to entice them to come in again.

Step 4

Keeping contact

Once you have invited local businesses in, ensure you keep in touch and let them know of any exciting new items you have on the menu, seasonal tasting menus or special offers you may be running. You’ve already done the hard work by initiating contact in the first place so keep marketing your restaurant to the audience you know is listening.